Page 93 of Vengeful Secret

“Hello,” I say shyly, looking down at the man in his bed.

He has bags under his eyes, and his scoop neck T-shirt shows a zipper scar—open heart surgery.

I’ve never asked exactly what happened after Patrick’s surgery, but it must have been bad. He looks tired.

“Hello,” he says, looking at me curiously. “We haven’t been properly introduced, have we? I’m Patrick Burke.”

“Sutton McIntyre.”

My voice sounds small and weak.

“And you’re that littlegirl’s mother?”

I give him a weak smile. “That’s me.”

He chuckles. “You must have fire in your belly, too, because she certainly does.”

“She’s a sassy one, that’s for sure.”

I hope she didn’t say anything too crazy, but Patrick is smiling, so he must have had a good introduction.

“Aye, she is. Something tells me you are, too,” Patrick jokes, grinning up at me.

“Sometimes. A girl has to stand up for herself.” There’s an edge of defense in my voice.

“Aye.” He sounds almost proud. “Gray needs to be knocked down a peg every once in a while. He’s too in his own head.”

I’m not sure what to say to that, so I keep my mouth shut. Patrick continues, not minding my sudden silence.

“He’s the most sensitive of all mybairns, you know that?”

My eyes shoot to his where I’d been looking down at my hands.

“He is?”

Patrick nods. “He’s always taken things to heart. When he was a kid, he’d try to save frogs and lizards that came in the house. Once, we found a slew of them in his toy box, and he’d cry and cry when his Ma explained they have to live outside.”

I smile at the sweet story. “Well, he’s older, now. Wiser.”

Patrick chuckles. “Is he? Seems to be he’s still the big-hearted boy with the toy box full of frogs and lizards, to me.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You,” he says, looking up at me with a serious expression. “I take it that you and Gray were apart for a while. Most of that little girl’s life.”

I swallow hard, preparing myself. “Yes.”

“You kept her away.”

“I did.”

“To protect her?” he asks, and his face isn’t angry and neither is his tone, but I feel defensive nonetheless.

“Yes. I didn’t want her to get hurt. I didn’t want either of us to get hurt.”

Patrick nods. “I can understand that,a’stor. I really can. What made you change your mind, though? It’s not like things have been particularly quiet around here.”

I take a deep breath. “Gray’s different.” I pause. “I’mdifferent. And I can’t protect her from the world. I can’t protect her the way that he can.”

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